This is a proof of life post. I am still here, barely.

I am surviving on multiple cups of coffee and four hours of sleep a night and it has just become unsustainable. But I also refuse to compromise on what I want to do in tennis. It’s not balanced but it’s the only way I know how to do this crazy thing called founding.

Anyway, enough about me. I have spent the last four days on the ground at the US Open. It’s the first year I have been credentialed at the tournament and I am coming in under the new Creator Media program. It’s been very insightful and I have tons of thoughts, which I will come to at the end of the tournament. Covering the US Open as a solo producer is not for the weak but it is possible in very creative ways. As an early preview of my thoughts, I think the program has a ways to go to be perfect, but it’s only in its second year. Give it time.

On the Docket

I got to sit down with local (to tennis, haha) social celebrity Christian of Christian’s Court. I joke, but in all seriousness Christian threads the line perfectly between social content creator and great analyst of the sport of tennis. He joined me for our short US Open preview. We look back at the Tennis Coachella that Fan Week has become, highlight some names in the draw we are looking forward to following, and call out first round matches to watch.

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Prefer audio? Listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Bonus Point

Naomi Osaka has taken the walkout kit to the practice court. Before she had even stepped on court for a match, Osaka was debuting pre-practice arrival looks, expanding her on court walkout kit into a genre of its own. I asked her in press what the inspiration was behind the change, and she pointed to basketball, which ties into Nike’s general theme at this US Open of basketball crossed with tennis.

“For the fashion, I’m really just inspired by Nike is saying it’s a basketball theme. So, you know, the NBA and the WNBA have their tunnel walk-ons. I know one year in Toronto they wanted us to do it but it never really took off. So I just felt like New York is a good place to attempt it.”

Mobile Served. The Served Podcast launched their daily Quick Served episodes for the US Open, and this year they are mobile. If you don’t know, my background is in production, so I have been obsessing over how they would pull off the Quick Served episodes, which come at the end of every day at the slam to recap the day’s play, especially with Andy Roddick working on site as an ESPN analyst for the first time. That seemed like an incredibly long day. The solution: do the podcast on the road back home from the grounds. This is not easy, but I loved that they made it work. It’s sponsored by Cadillac, which is the perfect organic integration since Cadillac is also a US Open sponsor. I love the fresh coverage coming into tennis.

Novak Djokovic. Djokovic is out of the tournament, and it was not pretty. He lost a five set battle to Mariano Navone, and by the end he was throwing up, cramping, and dealing with an issue with his shoulder. In pre-tournament press I asked Novak about his longevity in the sport and whether he would ever share his methods with other athletes.

“I’ve been doing that for years with athletes directly. Athletes, I purposely say ‘athletes’ because there’s athletes from different sports that reach out. So when it comes to sharing that in a more structured way through different formats of maybe media or whatever it is or book, yes, absolutely. We’re working on that. It’s going to come up in the near future.”

But here is the thing Father Time has never been defeated, and that was on full display Sunday night. Tune in to our round one recap for further discussion on this.

Off Court

Activations still abound. Just because Fan Week is over doesn’t mean the brand activations are done. New York City turns into tennis paradise right up until the end of the tournament and I will be taking you along to the ones I visit. Headed to the Yonex Coffee House later today. Follow us on social to see what it’s all like.

On Deck

Watch party news coming soon. I will be hosting a free watch party for the US Open Men’s Final. Stay tuned for more details coming soon. Want to make this one fun.

US Open Round Recaps. We will be back on the podcast at the end of every round with a recap of the most interesting stories coming-out of the US Open and hear directly from the players when we can get clips.

The Toss

Thursday was my first full day on the grounds. It’s as supposed to be the last day of qualifying but the rain prevented that. But it gave me a chance to see what was new around the grounds.

I’ve been coming to this tournament for over 10 years and there’s still something new every single time. This year might be the biggest change yet, with the construction happening at Arthur Ashe Stadium completely shifting the layout. That’s exactly where you’ll find me in the first hit of Ground Pass On Site, and I’m so excited to take you along all tournament long and show you what’s different on the ground this year.

Event though the rain pushed back most of qualifying a few players did beat the rain. Grigor Dimitrov made it through, and so did Robin Montgomery, who punched her ticket to the main draw for the first time since 2023. I sat down with her post-match to talk about her recovery from injury, her comeback on tour, winning a title earlier this year, and her Nike kit, which I’m calling the Nike New York Liberty kit.

Later that night, the Open hosted Stars of the Open, one of the exhibition events of Fan Week, and what really caught my eye was the lineup: Alex Eala, Amanda Anisimova, Marta Kostyuk, Iva Jovic, Flavio Cobolli, Learner Tien, Arthur Fils, and Alex Michelsen. These events usually run on names like Frances Tiafoe, Taylor Fritz, Naomi Osaka, or Coco Gauff. Seeing a new crop of faces headline instead says a lot about where the sport is going, and I love it. There are so many players in tennis. We have a top 100 for a reason, and the more these events introduce fans to a wider range of athletes, the less the sport has to survive on two or three names.

And finally, something I’ve been talking about a little on social: qualifying and Fan Week in Queens are only half of the US Open celebration. All week, parties, activations, and events are happening across the city. Last night I attended one called Opening Serve, where Mirra Andreeva, Sorana Cirstea, and Rafael Jodar hosted a party with Baileys for industry professionals and media. I got to interview all three players, and some clips are below.

Yesterday was media day and the end of end of qualifying, so stay tuned for all of our US Open coverage right here on Substack and across our social media.

We are four days into the US Open and it’s already been the most eventful US Open of my whole life. From starting a day early by pushing Kids’ Day to the start of Fan Week, the news around the expensive resale ticket prices, closing access to the fan passes then reopening it, picking up my credential, Mayor Mamdani securing some cheap tickets for New Yorkers, Serena Williams and Carlos Alcaraz playing mixed doubles, Roger Federer and Andy Roddick seemingly playing round one at this US Open, navigating my exploding inbox (gratefully)... and it’s day four! Truly can’t even complain. These are the busy times we asked for. So let’s dive in and let you know what you can expect from me over this fortnight.

On the Docket

After a busy DC Open and jumping right into Canada while juggling my nine to five (yes, Ground Pass doesn’t pay my New York City rent yet) I took an unexpected but needed break from the podcast and a lot of social media, but we were back with a podcast this week. Nick and I looked back at a pretty historic Cincinnati Open final weekend and did a short preview of the US Open. Our full US Open preview, what to expect, who to watch and more, will come after media day, which is tomorrow at the Open, so subscribe to all our feeds to keep up. And if you haven’t yet check out my US Open Guide, from someone who has attended the open for the last 10+ years.

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Prefer audio? Listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Bonus Point

• Something we did not talk about was the US Open wild card situation. It’s been coming out in drips and drabs, but one glaring omission right up until a few hours ago was that Stan Wawrinka was not given one. The discourse around wild cards has been loud in recent times and I have already penciled in an episode just on wild cards coming later this year, very similar to the one we did on exhibitions. (Still wildly one of our most popular episodes.) It’s unfortunate that Patrick Kypson had to withdraw injured for Stan to get one, but at least he will be at the US Open in his last year, and also the tenth anniversary of him winning it.

• I have also seen a lot of negativity around influencers at the US Open and how they are ruining things, and I really have no dog in this fight, but I think it’s a bit misguided. The complaints I have seen so far are plentiful, so let me debunk a few right here:

  • That they are making the tournament more crowded by exposing it to a new casual audience? This is the one where I am just like “miss me.” So we don’t want new people discovering the sport and helping it grow?

  • Then there is the one about how they don’t know anything about the sport and are just there for photos and go. You know who else is doing that? Half the people that attend the US Open. I started Ground Pass because in 2023, after attending the US Open every day (yes, I did do this, because back then ground passes were not $330 on the resale market), I realized how many people in the crowd had no concept of the sport, who the players are, or how to navigate a tournament like the US Open, just by overhearing their conversations. They were at the US Open because in the summer in New York, you go to the US Open. Just like you would go to Broadway, or visit the Empire State Building. So pinning this on an influencer trait is patently false. They are just more visible to you because of their following and presence online. I have tons of friends who rediscover tennis once a year.

    I am not saying there are no bad actors, but can we just be a little nicer to each other, and instead of complaining, try and share our love and knowledge of the sport.

Off Court

Things to do off court. New York is buzzing with things to do around tennis outside of Flushing Meadows. Different brands have pop-ups all over the city that are open to the public.

• You will find me at Yonex Coffee House on August 28th, because coffee and tennis is literally my brand

• Wilson has a few pop ups and event over the fortnight in the city and on the grounds.

• Racquet magazine is back at Pier 17 Seaport for daily events through the US Open fortnight

• Andrea Petkovic and Genie Bouchard have a training camp on the 29th

• And so much more

Taylor Fritz will also be buying you lunch while he is at the US Open. We all know his love for his sponsor Chipotle, so they have a BOGO going on for every match he wins. He will be dropping the code in his Instagram stories after each win, and the further he goes the more codes they release.

On Deck

I know I dropped it casually to start, but I have been credentialed at the US Open under Ground Pass. A huge achievement I haven’t really stopped to acknowledge, but I am sure I will at some point. So starting on Thursday I will be on the grounds for US Open Media Day. And I will be bringing you daily updates when I am on site for our Ground Pass On-Site series. Finally adding a Grand Slam to that.

The Toss

First is cost. Tickets for the first few days of a tournament are cheaper than the later days, and as a fan I was always cost conscious. You get the best bang for your buck, see the most players, and do it for less. When I started covering tennis as media, I stuck to the same habits. Even though I get free entry to the tournament as media, I am still cost conscious. I am traveling to all these tournaments and putting myself up, and as Ground Pass is still self funded, I can’t afford to be at tournaments the whole time. Also, the fact still holds that it’s easier to talk to players at the start of the tournament than in the later rounds. So that’s the reasoning.

But it’s still nice to experience the final weekend. It helps me give a full picture to tennis fans who are looking to attend. And what a final weekend it has been.

Alex Eala has completely taken over the DC Open. In the match of the tournament, she defeated Naomi Osaka, then showed up to the Tennis Channel desk to a packed crowd. It’s so great to see fans show up from all over the world for Alex Eala. We have been asking for this sort of player popularity in tennis, and it’s nice to see it in person.

Alex Eala will be meeting Jessica Pegula I the finals on Sunday and both their press conferences were very insightful. I asked Jessica if she hears all the coaching coming from the fans during her matches and Alex if she follows the rankings religiously. Those answers and the full audio of their press conference is below.

Coming for the final weekend also meant I got to talk to some doubles players. With the announcement of the changes the ATP would like to bring to doubles, as a reminder: reduced draws and prize money, I was interested to see how the doubles teams would respond.

And boy did they respond. At the DC Open they have been trialing micing up players during matches, but instead of it being for broadcast, it’s just for social, which has been fun to watch. They tried mic’d up matches a couple of years ago for the broadcast, but to be honest the setup was not that comfortable for the players, and most teams don’t talk all the time. Picking select moments for social works better. I got to talk to Max Gaggino of Backstage Tennis about the new setup. As he points out, this is not a new concept. It’s been done in basketball and football (NFL) for years. Even F1 has team radios that are popular among fans. Trialing it in tennis was a no brainer, and the doubles players are trying to use it to boost their social profiles and help save their category. I am a broken record at this point, but storytelling is the best way to sell a sport, and it’s nice to see its growth in tennis. My quick interview with Austin Krajicek and Nikola Mektic is below, and in a later edition of our newsletter I’ll share my interview with Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool.

The finals are set at the DC Open: Jessica Pegula v Alex Eala and Taylor Fritz v Rafa Jodar (is it just me, or is Rafa Jodar just Spanish Taylor Fritz?). Whoever wins, it will be a great story. Join me on the next podcast for a full breakdown.

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Something quite unexpected happened on Day 3 of the DC Open. Off Season was put on the big stage.

I thought it would be an early day for me. After recording my quick hit for this GPOS, I was planning to go home after what was a very long day.

The Naomi Osaka cookout took up most of my day, Venus Williams and Diana Shnaider debuted as a doubles pair, and more. But let’s start with how a tee I designed with my friend Yevheniia, who designs all of Ground Pass’ merch, ended up on Frances Tiafoe on center court in his first round match against Terence Atmane.

Hailey Baptiste, who is an Off Season athlete, was coming to watch the night match. I have been filming with her for Off Season while in DC, so I thought B-roll of her at the match would be great for the upcoming episode, which you can find here. While I was packing up someone in the press room asked me if I had seen Frances Tiafoe walk out in a tee with Hailey Baptiste on it. I asked what shirt, because as far as I knew there was only one shirt with Hailey Baptiste on it, and it’s the one I made as our first Off Season player tee. And it couldn’t possibly be that one, because I didn’t give one to Frances Tiafoe. Right. Right?!

But lo and behold, as Frances Tiafoe got to his bench and took off his Lululemon hoodie, there was the OFF SEASON logo on the front and the Hailey graphic on the back. I have never felt more paralyzed in my life. What to do, how to capitalize for the benefit of the show. But in the end that’s not me. I don’t know how to guerrilla market, as they say. So I did what I planned to do, stayed and filmed Hailey for the DC episode of Off Season, and decided to wait until the end of the match to maybe ask Frances how he got the shirt.

But the match didn’t go well for Tiafoe. He lost to Terence Atmane, someone he has played three times this year alone and beaten all three times. The matches have always been close, and I had actually called Atmane to win this one. If you listen to the pre-tournament podcast I recorded with Ava Wallace, you will remember we talked about the pressure Tiafoe probably carries trying to win this tournament. This was a tough first round draw.

Both players came into press, and while Tiafoe was very down on his game and level (don’t worry, I didn’t ask about the shirt), Terence Atmane was more positive about his level and how hard he had to work to win the match.

Below is the full audio of their press conferences for paying subscribers.

Frances subsequently withdrew from the tournament, citing a right wrist injury. And probably a lot of disappointment.

Going back to the start of the day, Naomi Osaka’s cookout was such a moment. Something I have never seen at a tournament before. Naomi held what ended up being a meet and greet with fans in one of the food areas on site. She talked to fans, took photos, signed autographs, and basically hung out for an hour. As I said in the video, this could not happen at a bigger tournament, and it’s what makes tournaments like this so special.

Leylah Fernandez talked about how she approaches being a defending champion.

And Venus Williams expressed what it’s like to feel joy on court.

If you would like to pick up a Hailey Baptiste shirt, you can here.

Follow along on Instagram and YouTube as I keep sharing things from the tournament there.

Cruz, if you didn’t know, is the son of Lleyton Hewitt. And the pressure and expectation of that must be great. He made his big breakthrough recently by making it to the final of the Junior Wimbledon boys event. He lost that to American Jordan Lee, and because of that breakthrough both he and Lee received wildcards into the qualifying draw here. Lee lost in the first round of qualifying, but Cruz, through a series of unfortunate events, got through to the main draw after both his opponents retired due to injury/illness.

I was able to watch parts of his second match against Zachary Svajda. Svajda won the first set easily, but Hewitt put up a fight in the second, breaking Svajda while he was serving for the match and winning the tiebreak. And even though Svajda was compromised (Zach did make it to the main draw as a lucky loser), Hewitt showed his tenacity and grit in those closing moments of the second set, and it will be interesting to see how he develops on the main tour. He had Jordan Thompson in his box. I was surprised when I saw him on the grounds as he hasn’t played in a while, and it looks like he is taking on a coaching/supporting role for the youngster.

There is also a new podcast out today, so this is a combined GPOS and Order of Play.

On the Docket

I had the most impromptu podcast recording with Ava Wallace of The Athletic right in the heart of the DC Open. I wasn’t even sure I would post this, but listening back, it’s the type of free flowing tennis chat I would have with a friend, so why not let you in. Forgive the rambling, but we touch on what makes DC so special as a tournament on the tour and how it reflects not just the city of DC but the real fan base of tennis. And of course we get into Andy Murray as a tennis coach. Still wild to see.

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Bonus Point

It was another week where I didn’t watch any tennis, but I saw Lili Tagger won her first title in Prague, beating red hot Barbora Krejcikova along the way. She is now the youngest player in the top 50. I got to talk to her at Indian Wells this year. You can find clips from her interview here.

Off Court

Off Season: In Season - Dallas

Off Season: In Season - Dallas is live. Would love for you to check it out and share. We are back in production in Dallas. I caught up with Hailey Baptiste, Ethan Quinn and doubles team Chris Harrison and Neal Skupski. The next episode of the documentary, Delray, will be out in a couple of weeks. But there is a lot in the bank to catch up on here.

On Deck

Here in DC for the next few days, then will probably be back for the final weekend. There are a lot of players here hoping for a good start to the summer hard court swing. Ben Shelton would like to break the spell of first round losses. Can Frances Tiafoe finally win his home tournament? How good can this Andy Murray and Jack Draper partnership be? Can Naomi Osaka get further in DC than she did a year ago, and what’s next for Venus Williams? So many storylines to keep up with, and that is not taking into consideration the surprises we could get.

The Toss

The DC Open is unique because it’s a combined 500 event. It’s what I think makes it so successful.

Then came 2024, when Ground Pass was in its infancy and I didn’t have a media credential, but I still got to interview newly crowned Wimbledon champions Henry Patten and Harri Heliovaara (DC is where their nickname Double H comes from) and Mattia Bellucci after his qualifying match, in the first ever episodes of Meet the Players.

It’s also where, last year, I got to interview Venus Williams for the first time. A full circle moment in my tennis history.

But enough nostalgia. We are here now, and the DC Open doesn’t need me to sell it. In fact, a few people would rather I kept this our little secret. There is no better way to describe this tournament than I did in our guide: it’s the mini US Open. You get the same level of players and matches on grounds a quarter of the size, for cheaper, and less crowded. Players share the walkways with fans, who stop them for photos and autographs unless they are heading to a match. It’s a summer festival with some tennis on the side.

While qualifying matches were happening around the grounds, with Daria Kasatkina, Cruz Hewitt, and the Svajda brothers all making it to the final round of qualifying, it was media day for the top ranked players and Venus Williams.

A year after making her return to tennis, she is back where it all started, reflective about the year she has had and what might come next.

Ben Shelton was in and was asked about his topsy turvy year, one where he has won his most titles in a single season and yet had his worst results at the slams.

Taylor Fritz is managing his knee. Frances Tiafoe talked about his doubles exploits at the DC Open and how he would like to play more, but managing singles and doubles is not sustainable.

The audio from the press conferences is below for paying subscribers. Thank you so much for supporting Ground Pass.

Before I even got on site today, Off Season DC went into production. This one will be a doubles special with Australian Open champions Christian Harrison and Neal Skupski.

But they are not the only members of Team Off Season I am seeing this week. I caught up with Hailey and Ethan below.

It’s been a long first day on and off site. Day 1 down. See you tomorrow.

This is not the post I was expecting to send this week. In fact, this was supposed to be a week off. After a busy Roland Garros and Wimbledon and the release of a new episode of Off Season, this was supposed to be a Meet the Professionals week. That interview is still coming, but a few things happened this week that made me want to record a podcast.

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On the Docket

Tennis is so bad at storytelling. Sorry not sorry, but this is a fact. And not because there is no one trying to tell the stories. The people are there, but the access is not. And tennis is like the Titanic, so hard to turn and switch direction. As it hurtles toward an iceberg, will it move fast enough to avoid sinking?

I am joined on the pod by Ryan Ng, who runs an Instagram account called Forty Love Studio where he tells incredible tennis stories. Ever since the news that the ATP is looking to reduce the doubles field at ATP tournaments, there has been a lot of chatter about the ATP’s lack of promotion of doubles, like not posting highlights. But it’s not the highlights, it’s the lack of storytelling for me. Ryan and I get into it all. This was such a great conversation.

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Bonus Point

• Tennis no longer has a homepage. I have been hearing the rumors, and after reading this piece from Defector it seems true that Tennis.com no longer exists as it used to. It now functions as a place to check scores and rankings, and last I heard about their editorial team, they have been moved to covering social media posts. So tennis no longer has that one place where you can find critical news stories, entertainment, and information on the sport and its players. It is all fragmented, like most things in media, unfortunately.

• We need more breaks in the tennis calendar. This two-week break between Wimbledon and the Citi Open has highlighted that for me. The fact that, at last count, we have six tennis player weddings during this time just shows how little free time they have that they all had no choice but to pick the same week to get married. It is also just nice seeing tennis players do things we see other athletes do more regularly: attend the World Cup, hang out at a club in Ibiza with Peggy Gou (I see you, Matteo Berrettini), or whatever else they want to do. It gives a full picture of their personality. And hey, these two weeks are not even off. There are tournaments happening, these are just players able to take it off. I just wish it was more of a mandated break. I have not missed tennis. We are never really given the opportunity to.

Off Court

Off Season: In Season is here

The response to the original Off Season episodes was awesome. I loved hearing from people who watched the show and followed the athletes on their journeys because of it. So I kept going, as you might know by now. In this five-part series, Off Season: In Season, I traveled to Dallas, Delray, Indian Wells, Miami, and Charleston, following these players while they were in season at tournaments to learn what life on the road is like. Would love for you to check it out and share if you like it.

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On Deck

• Headed to the DC Open this weekend, and I am pretty excited to be back at a tournament, and one of my favorites actually. Our DC Open guide is out now. Check it out if you are going, or share it with someone who is. The field is great and the crowd is fun. Definitely worth a trip.

The Toss

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Wimbledon is in the rearview mirror, and we’re starting the two week lull before the hot and heavy US Summer Swing (with a pitstop in Canada) leading up to the US Open. The tour has returned to clay for a random mini European clay swing. Most of the top players are taking these weeks off, and as top podcasters, so shall we. But first, let’s look back.

On the Docket

The dream team is back together. Nick joined me for our Wimbledon recap. We hoped for more frequent episodes during the second week, but life happens, so instead you get one fun recap of the matches we loved most. We also get into the recognition Linda Noskova deserves and isn’t getting, not just during her run to the title but even after winning it. She has a great story. Why isn’t it being told? The women’s side gave us storyline after storyline, as the last few slams have, while the men’s side was a little thinner, though we did get a fairytale run from Arthur Fery. Also, the tennis player to Bad Bunny concert pipeline is strong.

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Bonus Point

• The Hall of Fame Open returned for its second year as a mixed ATP Challenger and WTA 125. It runs during the second week of Wimbledon in Newport, Rhode Island, and yes, it’s a grass court tournament, right here in the States at the International Tennis Hall of Fame. This tournament is such a hidden gem. It gets a great field of players who lose early at Wimbledon and want to keep getting reps, all on the historic grounds where the US Open was originally played. And your ticket gets you into the Tennis Hall of Fame Museum, a must visit for any tennis fan. Check out our tournament guide and start planning your trip for next year. This year’s winners: Tatjana Maria, Grass Court Queen (women’s singles), Jacob Fearnley (men’s singles), Katie Volynets and Iryna Shymanovich (women’s doubles), and James Watt and Finn Reynolds (men’s doubles). My interview with James is below.

• A big shout out to our McCarren Park screening. A huge part of this Wimbledon was hosting screenings of the finals and having real world time with Ground Passers. We had longtime fans, new fans, and fans who met each other last year and are now friends planning a tennis trip together. This is really what it’s all about. I can’t believe this little germ of a thought has grown into such a great community. We’re doubling down on real world events. More to come.

Off Court: A Doubles Dilemma

If you haven’t heard, the ATP’s plan to change doubles by 2028 leaked, and it involves drastically reducing the doubles field and prize money. It won’t affect the slams or the women’s field for now, but it’s a drastic move that’s causing a lot of debate in the tennis world. I have my thoughts, which I’ll share as this develops, but it felt like the perfect moment to talk to an actual doubles player. So I gave James Watt a call. He was at the airport after winning the Hall of Fame Open, on his way to his next tournament. His girlfriend Ellie documents his tennis journey on Instagram and YouTube, making him one of the most popular doubles players out there. Our conversation is below.

On Deck

• We’re taking a break! In two weeks the US Summer Swing begins, and it’s going to be a busy one for Ground Pass in the best way. So to prepare, we’re taking it easy for the next couple of weeks. We won’t be watching as much tennis, and if you see us online, no you didn’t. The podcast feed stays alive though. We have a bank of Meet the Professionals episodes for moments just like this one.

• New episodes of OFF SEASON are coming soon, and just for Substack subscribers, here’s a look at the trailer before it’s fully done and live.

• I’m also working on a project I’m really proud of that’s coming during the US Open. Below is a little clue of what it might be. Drop me a note in the comments if you can guess.

  

The Toss

The tennis season is long. Almost every week of the year, there’s a tournament happening somewhere. We talk a lot about what that does to players, but what about the fans?

By now you’ve probably seen Naomi Osaka’s Kill Bill kimono, one of the defining images of Wimbledon’s opening day. What you haven’t heard is that it came together in three weeks. I called up Marty Harper, the person who built the whole world around it, and it turned into one of my favorite conversations of the season. The full talk is waiting for you down in Off Court.

Now, the catch-up, because it’s Day 3 of Wimbledon and so much has already happened. Since the last Order of Play, we recorded our Wimbledon preview and an in-depth interview with Chris Eubanks about media and tennis, which was bound to be a talking point as ESPN moved all the Wimbledon matches to their highest tier, ESPN Unlimited. We also dropped our Wimbledon Tournament and Queue guide and recorded our Round One recap. It’s been busy, busy, busy over here.

On the Docket

I was joined by Ian from Forty Love to recap Round One of Wimbledon and break down all the tennis kits we saw on court. It’s part of our regular Grand Slam Threads episodes (this is our ninth edition), which has now been rebranded to Major Threads! Here’s the problem: we recorded for two hours! Can’t publish a two-hour episode, so we split it in two. Our Wimbledon Round One Recap is live, and our Major Threads episode will be out later this week.

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Bonus Point

This was news that dropped today, or we would have mentioned it on the podcast, but the WTA Finals is moving to Indian Wells. Due to the unrest in the Middle East, the WTA and Saudi Arabia agreed to end their partnership a year early and have moved the WTA End of Year Finals to Indian Wells. This might be the shot in the arm this tournament needs. After looking lost for years and being underwhelming in comparison to the absolute extravaganza that is the ATP Finals, moving to actual Tennis Paradise and drumming up an audience early might actually be the jumpstart to bigger things for the event. Can’t wait to cover this.

On Deck

• We’ll be releasing episodes more regularly during Wimbledon with round recaps, so subscribe to the podcast if you haven’t already to get them right away.

• Also, I’m planning to head to the Hall of Fame Open for a couple of days next week. It’s going to be a busy summer of traveling to cover the US summer swing, so if you’ve ever considered supporting our work, becoming a paid Substack subscriber would really help.

The Toss

The defending champions at Wimbledon, Sinner and Swiatek, both had pretty tough first-round matches. So here’s what I think:

Off Court

The three weeks behind Naomi Osaka’s Kill Bill kimono

By now you’ve seen it. Naomi Osaka walking onto Court 3 on Monday in a floor-length white kimono, cranes stitched across a sweeping tulle train, the whole look a callback to Lucy Liu’s O-Ren Ishii from the movie Kill Bill. It became one of the defining images of Wimbledon’s opening day. What you haven’t heard is how it actually came together, and that part surprised me more than anything else.

I called up Marty Harper, Naomi’s Curatorial Director. Marty is the person who takes the Nike kit that’s already been designed and builds a whole world around it, the world Naomi gets to walk out in. I went into the call assuming he’d had months. Mood boards, fittings, the works.

He had three weeks.

Three weeks to lock a concept, audition designers, pick the right one, fly to Tokyo, run the fittings, and then hand-carry the finished gown from Japan to London himself. The designer he landed on, Hana Yagi, doesn’t make new kimono. She rebuilds vintage bridal and ceremonial pieces that have reached the end of their lives into something new.

In the full conversation, Marty gets into:

• Why the whole operation is kept deliberately tiny (the shoot was three people and one morning, hair and makeup included)

• How he thinks about walkout looks as fashion, art, and storytelling, never costume

• What it means to hand one of the most private players in the sport a way to be seen

• Where he places Naomi in a lineage that runs back through Serena, Sharapova, and Suzanne Lenglen

It’s one of my favorite talks I’ve recorded, and easily the most fun I’ve had discussing tennis clothes all season.

Paid subscribers can listen to the full conversation below.

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For the past five years, the All England Club has brought a slice of the tournament stateside with The Hill in New York, a finals-weekend viewing party named after the famous grassy spot at Wimbledon where fans gather to watch the biggest matches on a giant screen, Henman Hill. It grew into a weekend fixture at Brooklyn Bridge Park in DUMBO, with strawberries and cream, Pimm’s, and even a headline concert. This year, the fifth, everything changes. The event moves from finals weekend to opening weekend, and from Brooklyn to Central Park. And as much as I love keeping everything in my borough, the move from DUMBO and Brooklyn Bridge Park to Central Park is inspired.

Set at Wollman Rink and surrounded by midtown skyscrapers, there’s something magical about a serene grass court (as serene as is possible for New York) sitting in the city’s most iconic park.

And this is a real grass court. I touched it. Straight from Wimbledon by way of New Jersey. I wanted to believe it had been flown in directly from Wimbledon Park, but I got to talk to Mark Ferguson, the All England Club agronomist (someone who studies plants and how they can be grown, modified, and used to benefit society), who confirmed it was sown and grown locally, which makes more sense than my outlandish thought.

Wimbledon at Central Park keeps all the best parts of the Brooklyn setup with a bigger footprint. There’s a Wimbledon merch shop and a café serving British fare and drinks. The sausage rolls and sticky toffee pudding were a highlight, and I tried Pimm’s for the first time.

But the best part might be the fact that local New Yorkers can actually play on the grass court this weekend. If you’ve never tried a grass court, this is your opportunity. Opening day matches will also be shown on the big screen on Monday.

I love this tradition of Wimbledon coming to New York. It lets tennis fans get a taste and feel of the tournament right here at home. Get to Central Park and try out the court.

We’re pretty much halfway through the grass court season. You read that right, it’s the shortest season on the tennis calendar, and while that’s a bummer aesthetically, with the number of slips and falls we’ve seen this week and the varying impact they’ve had on players’ futures, maybe it should stay this short. There’s your preview of The Toss.

On the Docket

Ground Pass was credentialed for our first European tournaments this grass court season. We were at Queen’s, where Kaya Courtside, a semi-regular contributor to the podcast, covered all the goings on at the WTA event, which also happened to be the chosen venue for the Serena Williams comeback. We got to see Emma Raducanu rising again, now reunited with her old coach. The title went to Donna Vekic, who has real pedigree on grass but was also carrying on this season’s theme of qualifiers and lucky losers going deep. That trend is on the rise.

I didn’t watch much outside of Queen’s, except for the final of the Boss Open, where Trinity Rodman proved romance isn’t dead by showing up for Ben Shelton at the matches that count.

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Bonus Point

• Something we didn’t get to in the podcast was our Grand Slam Threads episode for Roland Garros. I usually record these with Ian Mondul of Forty Love, but our schedules haven’t quite aligned, so it’s dropping late. In my research for photos, I came across a lot of Thanasi Kokkinakis in Adidas. Now, if you know, you know, but in earlier episodes of Grand Slam Threads we always looked forward to what Cotton On had in store for Kokkinakis. It became part of his personality as a player, and it’s a little sad to see that go for the now generic Adidas he’s signed with. Below are a few of my favourites.

• I still haven’t watched the Rafa documentary, which is very unlike me, since I watched the Roger doc two seconds after it dropped. I want to give this one my full attention. I’m also thinking about working it into a future book club or TV show club idea. (I really should stop adding to my list of things to do.)

Off Court

• The Knicks are NBA champions! That has taken up so much of my time over the past week. As a New Yorker, even though I don’t really follow the sport, I know so many Knicks fans who have been waiting years for this, so it’s been a lot of basketball over the last few days. I’m going to try to make it to the ticker tape parade on Thursday. Wish me luck.

  

On Deck

• Kaya is back at Queen’s for the men’s tournament this week, and Nick will be at Nottingham for the WTA 250 and ATP Challenger. Follow us on Instagram to get the vibes straight from the grounds.

• I’m in New York watching the grass court season from a distance, but I’m hoping to get my fix soon at the Newport open in Rhode Island. It might not be widely known, but yes, there is a local grass court tournament in the States, in the same location as the Tennis Hall of Fame. The ultimate two for one. And it’s a combined event.

The Toss

How is everyone recovering from the clay season? I barely had a moment to breathe after publishing our Roland Garros review before we were right back into the grass season and the Serena Williams comeback. Yep, she’s back. I wasn’t going to address it until she actually played, but she has played and won her first match, and we’ll get into all of it in a different post.

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On the Docket

Our review of Roland Garros went up on Sunday, where we looked back at the chaos slam in all its glory. I had hoped for a bit of upset in a slam that looked like a procession to another Jannik Sinner victory, but boy did this slam over-deliver. Maybe too much? We go through the winners and our favourite chaotic moments.

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Bonus Point

• We have already moved on to the grass and Ground Pass is on the ground at a couple of tournaments this grass court season. It’s crazy to think how far we have come in our short three years as a podcast and now, really, a media company. (Have you watched our documentary series OFF SEASON? Season 2 is coming later this month.) We are credentialed at Queen’s and Nottingham this year and have been reporting from the grounds about what the tournament is like, the players, and a few clips from the press room in our new social-first series “On the Record.” (I do love naming a series.)

• And as I said above, Serena is back, and with that has come the, to me at least, expected Nike rollouts: ads announcing the comeback, billboards after her first win, custom kits and all. If you follow us on social you would have seen my fairly regular refrain at this point: “If Nike wanted to, they would.” I say this to counter the narrative that Nike is missing their spark or not investing in their tennis stars. Oh, they are, just the ones they want to. Nike has built such a reputation that in my opinion they will always move the needle. As the popularity of tennis grows I’m sure their investment in the sport will grow too, but for now they have their stars and they will shell out for them. And believe me, tennis players in some cases would rather wait for their chance at Nike than sign contracts with other brands, and I have heard that first hand.

Off Court

• We are in such an abundance of sports right now. The World Cup starts today, the Knicks are headed into Game 5 with a 3-1 lead, and Wimbledon is literally around the corner. I don’t know about you but I am having the best time being a sports fan right now.

On Deck

• We are halfway through a pretty rainy Queen’s. We will be back on the grounds for the final and then on site for the men’s tournament. It’s been a brilliant experience covering Queen’s in person for the first time, so here’s hoping for more to come.

• I am also knee-deep in the editing process for OFF SEASON, which will be back for Season 2 later this month. Excited to share more of the journeys of the players we cover, introduce you to some new faces, and bring you longer episodes.

• We are also working on a special project I can’t talk about just yet, but I have been truly looking for an outlet to share it, so over the next few weeks I’ll be on a plan for paid content that will let me share freely and preview some of the cool things we have coming up. Stay tuned.

The Toss

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One more thing: Roland Garros in the Park in Brooklyn.

We’re having a screening at McCarren Park this weekend. If you’re in New York and want to watch with us, come through.

Order of play for tomorrow: Find it here

Matches to watch:

Anastasia’s picks:

Jovic v Osaka

Kouame v Tabilo

Mboko v Keys

Nick’s picks:

Cobolli v Tien

Berrettini v Comesana

Gauff v Potapova

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Let’s start with Rybakina’s early exit at Roland Garros at the hands of Yulia Starodubtseva. This match was on our watch list yesterday for good reason. Having watched Yulia in person in Charleston, I knew what her level could be. And while most had penciled Rybakina into the second week, this was on my watch to see if Yulia’s level could stand up to Rybakina. And boy did it.

That’s how the day started, but it’s been a river of injuries and tears ever since. The heat played its part, with Menšík surviving cramps to win his 5-set match against Navone. Kokkinakis, Block, and Vacherot all withdrew with injury, and Hailey Baptiste had a freak accident that saw her wheeled off court.

Zverev, Ruud, Paul, Svitolina, and Cîrstea all wrapped up their matches with ease.

The Novak v. Fonseca third round match is set.

I ask, why is everyone obsessing over what time of day Sinner and Djokovic play?

Also, instead of focusing on why your favorite players are playing against each other in the first round, maybe remember they can only do this because Althea Gibson paved the way, and we are celebrating her 70th anniversary of winning Roland Garros.

And Sloane Stephens is back. We saw some great fashion looks as she starts her commentary duties with TNT.

Order of play for Day 5: [link]

Matches to watch on Day 5:

Anastasia’s picks:

• Sinner v. J.M. Cerúndolo

• Gauff v. M. Sherif

• Collignon v. Shelton

Nick’s picks:

• Jović v. Navarro

• Hurkacz v. Tiafoe

• Arnaldi v. Tsitsipas

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• The dramatic walk-out, the stripping of layers, the warmup before the final reveal of the custom Nike kit.

Tennis players have many routines, some more visible and obvious than others. This is one I have come to attribute to Naomi. And just like other tennis routines, it’s the way she preps for matches and as valid as any other.

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Osaka won her match in straights against Siegemund, and the match between Coco Gauff and Taylor Townsend was not as jeopardy-filled as I thought it would be. But they both looked stunning on court. Today really was a fashion show.

But there were upsets all around the grounds anyway, with Daniil Medvedev (our most dependable Lost Boy) and Sasha Bublik losing in the first round. So much for possible contenders to Sinner’s title run.

And Kim Birrell, showing up at another Grand Slam after her epic Australian Open run, took out Jessica Pegula.

Other notable results from the day:

• Zachary Svajda getting a great win over Alexei Popyrin.

• Moïse Kouamé defeats Marin Čilić to win his first round match at Roland Garros. The 17-year-old French wildcard continues to break records.

• Learner Tien def. Garín with the wildest score line of 6-0, 2-6, 6-0, 6-2.

• The match of the day goes to Martín Landaluce v. qualifier Prado Angelo. 5 sets, four and a half hours of clay court tennis.

What we are watching tomorrow

Round 2 begins tomorrow and here are our 3 matches to watch:

• All the way out on Court 13 last on, you have the all-American matchup between Nishesh Basavareddy and Alex Michelsen.

• Elena Rybakina v. Yulia Starodubtseva, who had a great run in Charleston. It would be nice to see where her level is at.

• Eva Lys and Sorana Cîrstea has the potential of going 3.

Day 4 Order of Play

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Elina Svitolina almost made it so the whole family was out of the tournament. She had a tight match against Anna Bondar, as she has done multiple times, but was able to dig out the win in the third set. Another match that came through from our picks was the Tiafoe vs. Spizzirri match. Spizzirri was able to take a set off Foe but the 19th seed won in the end. Good signs for Eliot who hasn’t played since Dallas.

Ben Shelton is looking good! What I thought would be a tough match against Mérida turned into a clinical straight set for Ben. Continuing his track record of showing up for the slams.

And it finally happened: Diana Shnaider, who wears a bandana on court (something her mom got for her over the years to help prevent sunburn), has now been taken over by a brand. Diana, who switched to Yonex this year, now has a branded Yonex bandana. It’s about time a brand took over her signature look.

The order of play

Day 3 schedule is live and ready to print: [link]

What to watch

Osaka vs. Siegemund. For the possible drama. First you have Siegemund who is the most unpredictable player on the WTA probably and just an all around drama queen, and then Naomi teased her walk out kit for Roland Garros with a cryptic threads post… We will be sat!

Gauff vs. Townsend. For the possible upset. Taylor’s been dangerous, the matchup is awkward for Coco, and Court Philippe-Chatrier doesn’t always favor the favorite on day three. All the eye emojis…

The sleeper: Mboko vs. Bartůnková. For the intrigue. Mboko has been clear in press: she wants to win a slam. She left her coaching team at Tennis Canada for Wim Fissette starting this week. We will be keeping a close eye on this one.

Bonus: Doubles starts tomorrow. The doubles draws are live on the site, so a bonus pick — Perez/Schuurs vs. Boulter/Putintseva. Genuinely curious how Boulter and Putintseva ended up together. Would not have called that one.

Printable draws (singles and doubles now live): [link] Full TV guide (US + UK): [link]

See you tomorrow.

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The [Rosé] Catch-Up

The order of play

Day 2 schedule is live and ready to not print: [link]

What to watch

Svitolina v Bondar. This one is on Up set alert. Svitolina might have a Bondar problem.

Rakotomanga Rajaonah v Anisimova. We have not see Anisimova since the Miami Open. She is coming back from a wrist injury so let’s see how she goes.

Merida v Shelton. Ben Shelton won a title on clay that got me hyped about the American mens prospects on the surface… then he didn’t win another match on clay. Can he turn this form around?

Spizzirri v Tiafoe. Bonus match because Spizzirri is back!

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The Coffee Catch-Up

Arthur Fils has withdrawn from the tournament. Brutal timing for him, brutal timing for anyone who was looking forward to a French run on home clay. We literally just dropped our Roland Garros Preview pod where Fils was one of the players we were most excited about, and now he’s out before he hit a ball.

If you haven’t listened yet, the preview is still worth your time. We get into the rest of the draw, the storylines we’re tracking, and the players we think can make a run.

Listen on [YouTube] | [Spotify] | [Apple Podcasts]

The order of play

Day 1 schedule is live and ready to print. You can find it here along with the full draws.

What to watch

Bonzi vs. Zverev. Zverev opens his Roland Garros and Bonzi is exactly the kind of dangerous French floater you don’t want in round one. Home crowd, nothing to lose, big serve, lefty problems. Upset alert?!

Baptiste vs. Krejcikova. Hailey opens against a former champion on Suzanne-Lenglen. Krejcikova’s clay pedigree is real, but Hailey’s been finding something this year. Massive opportunity to make a statement.

Fritz vs. Basavareddy. All-American matchup on Lenglen, which means back-to-back vibes on the prettiest court at Roland Garros. If you’re picking one court to put on in the background, this is it.

One last thing: the Doubles printable draws are coming. We’ll drop them in tomorrow’s email so you can run a proper bracket pool for the second week.

For the updated draw check them out here.

See you tomorrow for the first real recap.

A few things have changed.

I’m traveling during the tournament, so the daily Coffee Catch-Ups I did on Instagram for the Australian Open aren’t happening this fortnight. What’s happening instead is this email, every morning, for the full two weeks.

What’s in your inbox every day:

The printable draws. Men’s and women’s singles and doubles, in one spot, updated if anything shifts. [Get them here.]

The order of play. The next day’s schedule, updated every morning, so you know what’s actually worth setting an alarm for. Qualifying wraps tomorrow and the main draw schedule lands then, so the first real order of play hits your inbox Saturday morning.

A daily ‘Coffee Catch-Up’. A Coffee Catch-Up in your inbox - matches that captivated us, cool fashion or cultural moments and the big storylines coming out of the second Grand Slam of the year.

What to watch. Three matches, no more. Including one outside-court sleeper that we think has the potential to be great matches to watch.

Short, daily, in your inbox before the main session starts. That’s the format.

Some resources we have for you now:

• The full TV guide for watching in the US and UK, including how to catch the whole tournament for under $20 in the US. [Read it here.]

• The printable draws for the tournament for the Men and Women (Doubles coming soon). [Grab them here.]

See you Saturday for the first edition.

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